New Release Round-Up (April 27, 2023)

Welcome to RPGamer’s new release round-up. In this column we look to provide our readers with details on all of the RPGs released over the week. Please note we do not currently include Early Access releases where the game is still in development.

Afterimage

2D side-scrolling action RPG Afterimage is set on the world of Engardin. Years after a cataclysmic event called “the Razing” that destroyed much of human civilisation, the remaining settlements find themselves under attack from mystic forces. The game follows Renee, an amnesiac girl who leaves her ruined village to discover the truth behind the attacks.

Ash of Gods: The Way

Card-based strategy RPG Ash of Gods: The Way is a follow-up to Ash of Gods: Redemption and puts players in control of a young man named Finn. He lost his home and family years before to soldiers from the neighbouring country of Frisia, and must now take up arms to defend his country from them as they attack once more. Players build up decks of units, weapons, and spells to win battles with their own rules and objectives.

Cassette Beasts

Monster-battling RPG Cassette Beasts takes players to New Wirral, a remote island filled with monsters of all shapes and sizes. The residents have learned to fight back by recording the monsters on cassettes and playing the tapes back to use them in battle. The game features turn-based combat, with an open-world where players travel around with a companion, and two-player local co-op. It will also release on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch on May 25, 2023.

Dungeon Drafters

Dungeon Drafters is a tile-based dungeon crawler with roguelite and deckbuilding elements. Players choose one of six characters and explore ancient ruins to find new spell cards and create a legendary spell deck able to save the world. Console versions are planned for later this year.

Fairy Fencer F: Refrain Chord

Fairy Fencer F: Refrain Chord takes place after the events of Fairy Fencer F and its enhanced Fairy Fencer F: Advent Dark Force release. The game sees Fang and his allies encountering Muses who are able to use the power of songs to boost and alter other people’s abilities, and uses a new tactical combat system. A PC release is also planned for May 23, 2023. Those looking to read more about Fairy Fencer F: Refrain Chord can check out Luis Mauricio’s review of its PlayStation 4 version.

Honkai: Star Rail

Honkai: Star Rail is a turn-based RPG that tells its own standalone story in the Honkai universe. The setting features Aeons, incarnations of universal principles that can freely travel between its worlds and apply their principles to them. Players embark on a journey on the Astral Express along with other passengers looking to explore the universe and find out its secrets. PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 versions are also in development.

Live A Live

Live A Live is a remake of the Super Famicom RPG of the same name. It features a turn-based combat system and eight main scenarios that can be played in any order, with each including its own gameplay gimmicks. The remake utilises the HD-2D graphical style used in Octopath Traveler and Triangle Strategy. Those looking to read more about the game can check out Ryan Costa’s review of its Nintendo Switch release.

Mercenaries Lament: Requiem of the Silver Wolf

Strategy RPG Mercenaries Lament: Requiem of the Silver Wolf is the latest entry in Rideon’s Mercenaries series. It is a standalone title set in a world plagued by an epidemic that causes its victims to rise as zombie-like beings. Mercenaries make a living exterminating them, with the game following Silver Wolf Company leader Johan. Johan encounters a man known as the Grim Reaper and receives a prophecy foretelling an inescapable death in 100 days. Shortly after, he encounters and joins up with a maiden who has the apparent power to cure the plague.

Mugen Souls

Mugen Souls features turn-based combat on a free-roaming map and follows Chou-Chou on her attempt to conquer the seven planets. She travels between them, turning their heroes and demons into her loyal servants. A sequel, Mugen Souls Z, was released for PlayStation 3 in 2013 in Japan and in 2014 in North America and Europe.

Roots of Pacha

Roots of Pacha is a farming sim set in a stone age community. Players are able to discover and domesticate crops and animals while befriending their fellow villagers. As players discover new ideas, they develop new tools and techniques to help them thrive. The game includes both single player and multiplayer co-op.

RPG Maker Unite

RPG Maker Unite is the first entry in the creation suite series to utilise the Unity engine. As with other entries, it will come with its own library of assets and a pre-made database to help players create their own games. It will also include template games, which players can modify and build upon. Other features include native full HD resolution support, a new outline editor, automated balance tuning guides, native mobile builds, and customisable C# scripts.

The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story

The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story is an FMV murder mystery adventure. It sees players investigate a set of connected cases coverings the woes surrounding the Shijima family across a hundred-year time span. Those looking to read more about The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story can check out RPGamer’s Adventure Corner coverage, as well as an interview with actors Yuta Hiraoka and Nanami Sakuraba, producer Junichi Ehara, director Koichiro Ito, and cinematographer Yasuhito Tachibana.

Trinity Trigger

Action RPG Trinity Trigger is set in the world of Trinitia, where the Gods of Order and the Gods of Chaos previously fought for control, but now use proxies to fight for them. Main protagonist Cyan Erleus, a young man living in a quiet village, discovers he is a Warrior of Chaos, and embarks on a journey to try and change his fate. Those looking to read more about Trinity Trigger can check out Anna Marie Privitere’s review of its PlayStation 5 version.

XEL

Action adventure RPG XEL follows an amnesiac protagonist named Reid who is shipwrecked on a mysterious planet filled with secrets and puzzles, and has an unstable sense of time. The game features combat that uses combos, dodging, and parrying, with Reid able to gain access to a variety of weapons and gadgets. Its PlayStation release is joined by new DLC for its PC and Nintendo Switch versions; Breaking Time is set immediately after the game’s conclusion and adds a new story chapter with new puzzles, challenges, and music.

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